By Charles Brun: Kell Brook is feeling confident right now that he’s going to be getting a title shot against WBO welterweight champion Terence Crawford soon. Brook (39-2, 27 KOs) says Top Rank promoter Bob Arum wants to make the right between him and Crawford (36-0, 27 KOs).
Crawford wants a big name welterweight to fight him when he returns, and Brook might be the best that he can. Arum voiced concerns about where they could stage the fight between Brook and Crawford.
He thinks it might be difficult to bring Crawford to the U.S, and he doesn’t see it going well for Crawford going to the UK.
If Brook can’t get the fight with Crawford, then he’ll need to look at facing Liam Smith or perhaps going after one of the champions at 154. Brook’s promoter Eddie Hearn believes he’s capable of beating WBO junior middleweight champion Patrick Teixeira and IBF/WBA champ Jeison Rosario
Brook: I’ve given up on Khan fight
“The one for you [Brook] that everyone is talking about is Terence Crawford, and it’s more important than ever. When you have to do something, you always do it,” said Hearn to his Instagram.
“The signals that I’m getting from Crawford’s team that they want it. Bob Arum, it’s there to be made,” said Brook. “It’s a huge, huge fight. Crawford is one of the best pound-for-pound fighters out there. I said that before I leave this game, I want to fight the best out there.”
“You boxed Shawn Porter and beat him, and you boxed Gennadiy Golovkin, and you boxed Errol Spence,” said Hearn. “If you box Terence Crawford, you boxed virtually all the top fighters in that division as well. Everything coming through about Crawford, and you have people coming through about Amir Khan. Have you given up [on fighting Khan]?”
“I’ve given up because it’s gone past the line now for me. I’ve done everything asked of me to make it [a fight against Khan] happen,” Brook said.
“Liam Smith is a smart guy, and he understands the business. He likens the situation of you and Amir with you fighting Liam Smith. Amir wants Manny Pacquiao, and you want Terence Crawford,” said Hearn.
“He’s probably right with Khan and me. We can talk. When the money’s right, we can make the fight happen,” Brook said. “It’s the same with Liam Smith. We’ll talk about that fight.”
“That’s a great fight. Are you confident with Liam Smith? I know Amir believes he can beat you, but to lose to you would really kick him in the n***. If you lost to Liam Smith, would you be leaving the sport like, ‘F***? That’s why the reward has got to be worth the risk,” said Hearn.
“Yeah, and that’s the same with any fight,” said Brook.
Kell should have given up on Khan eight years ago instead of continuing to waste energy trying to pursue that the fight. If Khan does choose to face Brook in the future, it’ll be at the very end of his career.
Eubank Jr. didn’t have the courage to face Golovkin
“I saw a couple of comments the other day from our friend Chris Eubank Jr. He had a little pop about you. He says he wants Golovkin now because he’s there for the taking. Now he can fight him,” said Hearn.
“He’s there for the taking, yeah? When he didn’t have the courage to take it when he had it handed to him,” Brook said.
“A lot of people talk about that,” Hearn said. “It’s easy for people to look bad on something and say, ‘Yes, you shouldn’t have fought Gennadiy Golovkin.’ And to be honest, if you hadn’t busted your cheekbone in that fight, then I don’t think we’d look bad at it the same way. People have to understand that you were in a position where after you beat Shawn Porter, no one wanted to fight you.
“You had the chance to fight Jessie Vargas in a unification. The money was s***. We were in a situation where you were coming off the injury. I was in the Garden, and I was like, ‘Do you want to fight Golovkin?’ We knew you really couldn’t be a welterweight, and it was just one of them where people don’t understand the courage in that fight.
“You’ve done well in that fight. I think you have to look back at that fight. If you hadn’t busted up your cheekbone in that fight. By the way, he [Golovkin] was at his absolute prime. That was one of the most electric three rounds. I have to admit that in the first 10 seconds when he backed you up, hit you with a right and a body shot.
“I heard the body shot. And I was like, ‘Oh man,’ and you’ve done so well in that fight to come through it. But for me, I really feel like unfinished business. You had a start-stop career. You won a world title, been in huge fights, and sold out your own football club.”
“I fronted him [Golovkin] up and boom. I’ve never had momentum,” said Brook.
Eubank Jr. was still in negotiations with Golovkin when Hearn pulled the rug out from under him and offered the fight to Brook.
Brook beats Jeison Rosario and Patrick Teixeira – Hearn
“No, you haven’t, but after that last performance [against Mark DeLuca], you’ve got that momentum. For me, I know you want the Crawford fight, and I know it’s there,” said Hearn.
“I still think you’ve got world championships at 154 as well. I also wish that there was a 150 weight class because it’s kind of like that’s your magic number, isn’t it? 150, 151. But for me, I would love to see you go on and fight for a world title. I believe you beat Patrick Teixeira, and I believe you beat Jeison Rosario.
“And for me, I’d rather you fight at [154], but you can’t turn down a Crawford fight. You’re where it all started for us. You have a lot more left in the tank, and we’ll be backing you every step of the way,” said Hearn.
It’s doubtful that Brook would beat Rosario (20-1, 14 KOs) at 154, as he’s a powerful puncher and young at 25. Rosario, 5’11”, is a lot bigger than Brook, and he’s stronger as well. If Hearn makes the mistake of matching Brook against Rosario, he could be sorry for it afterward.
